Do you sell time or savings?

An email I had tucked away in my files cited “7 Scientifically Based Copywriting Tips.” The writer said to be wary of selling “savings” and to instead sell “time.”

Are either of those what you sell when you’re marketing your services?

I think so, and I think they’re both important to your potential clients.

You sell both time and savings to a listing client when you demonstrate how you will guide them to do all the right things about pricing and presentation. By following your expert advice and availing themselves of your extensive marketing and negotiating skills, their homes will be sold quickly, and for more money.

You sell time to a buyer by showing them how you’ll sort through the listings and eliminate those that clearly won’t suit them. Then you’ll alert them to new listings that might fit their needs, thus saving them from continuing to search on line.

You sell them savings by advising them on the market value of homes they might consider and by assisting with negotiations.

But of course, as REALTORS® you do sell more than time and savings.

You’re also selling understanding and emotional support, which leads to peace of mind.

That depends on the trust between realtor and clients. Most people want to make their own decision. Some look realtors down as Supra door openers since we are not attorney and can not sue these people for their bad attitude. To polish the tarnished image created the technology takes over disclose more data than listing realtor knows. Support and understanding to the stress experienced can help.

A huge part of marketing home staging is the fact that a home staging consult saves time, money and stress. Staging advice provides a plan of action...no more guessing what to do, what to toss, what to keep, what colors, how to place the furniture, etc. Just follow the plan...time, money, and stress reduced!

Sharon Tara No one here had ever heard of staging back when I was an agent - and we sometimes had the devil of time trying to just get people to do the dishes and make the beds. Or clean the cat box. And then they wondered why it took so much TIME to sell a house.

HI Marte Cliff. Thank you for the thought-provoking post. In a perfect world, our clients who hire us because we are professionals would have the confidence in our skill sets to guide them through the process with their best interest in mind, and not ours. Alas, the "real world" kicks in, and a combination of too much data available to the consumer coupled with second-guessing makes our job that much more difficult. That all said, I still wouldn't trade it for anything, as I still just love being an advocate and supporter of my respective clients!

I think as a loan officer I could say I "sell" time and savings too, Marte Cliff ... it's a big part of what service I can provide my clients. I try to simplify the process as much as possible to help them save time (and effort). And I believe using my expertise and experienced service saves them money too. In the short-term and long-term. This thinking is not just for agents!

Thank you Gordon Crawford - most things are simple if we don't work hard to complicate them.

Greg Mona It is unfortunate, but there have been enough unsavory agents in the past (and some in the present) that many consumers have a hard time with the trust issue. You can only overcome it one client at a time - and then be thankful for their testimonials and word-of-mouth advertising.

Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi I think you do too! You can make a profound difference in both the time it takes to close a loan and the amount it costs the buyer. It's all in your expertise - and your caring.

Sadly, I've known a few who lacked the expertise and didn't care at all.

For buyers, some want to see everything, 'just in case' it may work, even though it doesn't have the features they say they want. This is the most frustrating aspect of showing sometimes. Many buyers tell me they don't want to live on a street with a lot of traffic, yet they request those showings 'maybe it would work'. Never does!

Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR I do remember those buyers from my years in real estate. They're sure they'll miss the perfect house unless they see everything on the market. What I really hated was when I'd ask someone what they were looking for and the answer was "We'll know it when we see it."

Selling a concise, simple and beneficial action plan that achieves the most important goals and objectives for the consumer are the primary elements to closing sales. Consumers hire professionals to save time and money, otherwise, they would probably do it themselves, wouldn't they?

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